Remove Hogle Zoo from the Zoo, Arts and Parks Tax
- by: Peter Scott
- recipient: Utah Governor, Utah State House, Utah State Senate, Representative Jason Chaffetz, Senator Mike Lee, Governor Gary Herbert, Representative Rob Bishop, Representative Chris Stewart, Representative Mia Love, State Senator Ralph Okerlund, State Senator Mark
Many sources including the Utah Animal Rights Coalition is opposed to any industry that views animals as commodities, keeps animals in small cages or enclosures, and deprives animals of the opportunity to fulfill their basic needs. Animals kept in captivity are denied the opportunity to roam dozens of miles, climb high in trees, forage, and form their own social groups and partnerships. As a result, many animals in captivity suffer from neurotic and self-destructive behavior, such as endlessly pacing back and forth or self-mutilating. This is why we have protested the Hogle Zoo and encourage Utahns not to visit or support the zoo.
Utah does not resemble the natural habitat of many of the animals found at the Hogle Zoo, including giraffes, elephants, lions, zebras, and orangutans. Often, these animals at Hogle Zoo are kept indoors during our cold and snowy winters, which is clearly not a natural environment and comes with a host of welfare issues.
Giraffes at Hogle Zoo are confined to a warehouse-like building during Utah's cold winter months and Zoos often try to claim they are saving animals from a rough and brutal life in their increasingly shrinking wild habitats. However, zoos do not go to the wild to find animals on the brink of death and rescue them. Zoos across the country, including Hogle Zoo, breed animals so that they can have new cute baby animals that make the headlines and increase guest numbers, and as a result increase profits. Further, research demonstrates that the zoo industry’s claim of educational value are false. A 2014 study found that a majority of children who visited a zoo had no positive educational outcome, or even had a negative outcome, meaning that zoos actually instill false and misleading information about wildlife biology and conservation.
Captive breeding does not help animals who are becoming endangered due to human activity, and collecting animals in Utah with no intention for rehabilitation and successful release back into the wild will never save a species from extinction. The easiest way to help preserve biodiversity and endangered animals is to stop eating meat and dairy products that are destroying the rain forest, creating dead zones in marine and inland waters,, and contributing significantly to climate change.
Two baboons enjoy the freedom of space and exploration in the wild, something zoos will never be able to replicate. In addition to ticket sales and donors, the zoo gets funding from tax dollars through the Zoo, Arts, and Parks (ZAP) program. Historically the zoo has not effectively documented how ZAP funds are spent. Many projects like the construction of a new $7.7 million dollar entryway and a $2.5 million dollar café have been criticized as a poor use of money.
UARC is excited to support tax dollars going to our arts and parks, but advocates the removal of zoos from the ZAP tax as this petition maker and the petition does itself. Please, let's stop the confinement and captive breeding of all animals in Utah, starting with Hogle Zoo, but also including all other animal captive sites as well as captive breeding sites.
What we may suggest as an alternative is an animal sanctuary where animals are not caged but are let to freely roam. I think a sufficient statement would be that the residents of Salt Lake City and the world anticipate this upcoming development for animal rights, welfare and liberation.
Many sources including the Utah Animal Rights Coalition is opposed to any industry that views animals as commodities, keeps animals in small cages or enclosures, and deprives animals of the opportunity to fulfill their basic needs. Animals kept in captivity are denied the opportunity to roam dozens of miles, climb high in trees, forage, and form their own social groups and partnerships. As a result, many animals in captivity suffer from neurotic and self-destructive behavior, such as endlessly pacing back and forth or self-mutilating. This is why we have protested the Hogle Zoo and encourage Utahns not to visit or support the zoo.
Utah does not resemble the natural habitat of many of the animals found at the Hogle Zoo, including giraffes, elephants, lions, zebras, and orangutans. Often, these animals at Hogle Zoo are kept indoors during our cold and snowy winters, which is clearly not a natural environment and comes with a host of welfare issues.
Giraffes at Hogle Zoo are confined to a warehouse-like building during Utah's cold winter months and Zoos often try to claim they are saving animals from a rough and brutal life in their increasingly shrinking wild habitats. However, zoos do not go to the wild to find animals on the brink of death and rescue them. Zoos across the country, including Hogle Zoo, breed animals so that they can have new cute baby animals that make the headlines and increase guest numbers, and as a result increase profits. Further, research demonstrates that the zoo industry’s claim of educational value are false. A 2014 study found that a majority of children who visited a zoo had no positive educational outcome, or even had a negative outcome, meaning that zoos actually instill false and misleading information about wildlife biology and conservation.
Captive breeding does not help animals who are becoming endangered due to human activity, and collecting animals in Utah with no intention for rehabilitation and successful release back into the wild will never save a species from extinction. The easiest way to help preserve biodiversity and endangered animals is to stop eating meat and dairy products that are destroying the rain forest, creating dead zones in marine and inland waters,, and contributing significantly to climate change.
Two baboons enjoy the freedom of space and exploration in the wild, something zoos will never be able to replicate. In addition to ticket sales and donors, the zoo gets funding from tax dollars through the Zoo, Arts, and Parks (ZAP) program. Historically the zoo has not effectively documented how ZAP funds are spent. Many projects like the construction of a new $7.7 million dollar entryway and a $2.5 million dollar café have been criticized as a poor use of money.
UARC is excited to support tax dollars going to our arts and parks, but advocates the removal of zoos from the ZAP tax as this petition maker and the petition does itself. Please, let's stop the confinement and captive breeding of all animals in Utah, starting with Hogle Zoo, but also including all other animal captive sites as well as captive breeding sites.
What we may suggest as an alternative is an animal sanctuary where animals are not caged but are let to freely roam. I think a sufficient statement would be that the residents of Salt Lake City and the world anticipate this upcoming development for animal rights, welfare and liberation.
Sincerely,
Peter Scott
833 Arnecia Ct., Apt. #31
Millcreek, Utah 84106
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